Tour Day 15 (Mar 11th)

Oamaru to Geraldine (330km)

WOW!!!! The most scenic day of the tour so far ... and probably ever.

After riding a number of miles of a good straight road, alongside a lovely river, we met a dam and the river became a lake. This in turn met another dam, another lake resulting in a stunning ride around it.

Once we'd done this, we headed to Mt Cook, the largest mountain in New Zealand. Then we saw it ... in all its glory across a crystal blue glacial lake. We don't get sights like that in the UK.

Then it was up to an observatory for lunch. The panoramic views from there were indescribable. The glacial lake Pukaki, the Mount Cook range (all snow covered) and all visible from the pleasant heat of the day. We also witnessed fascinating cloud formations. One that was totally flat on the top, and another that completely filled the void between two mountain peaks. We rode through the former, encountering our first rain of the tour.

A cute little church finished the day, where visitors (for some reason) leave piles of rocks standing on the side of the lake next to it.

Hotel is better than the last few, and I can add a couple of locals (including a Maori) to my pool scalps.